At every baseball stadium, there is at least one guy in the crowd with a posterboard sign that says, "John 3:16." A lot of people have heard John 3:16 before:
This is how much God loved the world:
He gave his Son, his one and only Son.
And this is why:
so that no one need be destroyed;
by believing in him,
anyone can have a whole and lasting life.
It's a great verse. It's often used to exemplify God's love and the simplicity of salvation.
But do you know what comes after John 3:16?
(I can already hear some smart-alecky people saying, "Umm...John 3:17. Duh!). :)
But really...what comes next?
Before today, I hadn't really thought much about that. But here's what follows perhaps the most famous verse in the Bible:
God didn't go to all the trouble
of sending his Son
merely to point an accusing finger,
telling the world how bad it was.
He came to help,
to put the world right again.
I loved reading this today--God's love isn't just empty words. It's not pointed fingers and accusations.
No--it's real help. It's transformation. It turns the world around in the best way possible.
John 3:16 is a great verse and it is important--but let's not forget the spirit behind what f0llows. God so loved the world that He gave, He helped, He transformed it...and He transforms us.
Tomorrow: John 5-6
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